- Pakistan’s passport now ranks 100th in the 2025 Henley Passport Index, up from 113th in 2021.
- Pakistani passport holders can now travel visa-free or get visa-on-arrival in 32 countries.
- New security upgrades and modern services are making travel easier for Pakistanis.
Pakistan has achieved a major milestone on the global stage by improving its passport ranking to 100th in the 2025 Henley Passport Index, a big jump from its 113th position in 2021. This means Pakistani passport holders can now enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 32 countries around the world.
Henley & Partners, a global firm specializing in citizenship and residence advisory, released the updated index using exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The ranking measures how many destinations a passport holder can visit without needing a visa in advance.
Director General of Immigration and Passports, Mustafa Jamal Qazi, congratulated the nation on this achievement and credited it to the strong support of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and the Secretary of Interior. Qazi said that the introduction of modern security features like e-passports with contactless NFC chips, which meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, has helped improve the passport’s reputation worldwide.
To make travel even easier, e-gates will soon be available at all major airports in Pakistan, allowing e-passport holders to pass through immigration quickly. The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports has also cleared the nationwide backlog, ensuring faster passport processing. Passport offices have been upgraded to provide better and quicker services.
For overseas Pakistanis, online passport application services have been launched, and the “Passport Fee Asaan” app now makes it possible to pay fees within seconds. In addition, a new app is being developed to let citizens apply for passports from home.
Recently, Pakistan and the UAE also signed an agreement allowing visa-free travel for diplomatic and official passport holders, further strengthening relations.
List of 32 countries where Pakistani passport holders can travel without a visa or get visa on arrival:
- Barbados
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cape Verde Islands
- Comoro Islands
- Cook Islands
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Guinea-Bissau
- Haiti
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- Maldives
- Micronesia
- Montserrat
- Mozambique
- Nepal
- Niue
- Palau Islands
- Qatar
- Rwanda
- Samoa
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- Sri Lanka
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Timor-Leste
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
With these steps, Pakistan hopes to keep improving its global standing and make traveling easier for its citizens in the future.
